306 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



of the district where it has been collected. And in the 

 close season no trading whatever is allowed in ivory. 



Owing to these heavy restrictions a good deal of tusk- 

 running is now being done. The chiefs, of course, are in 

 sympathy with the trader and assist him. A common ruse 

 employed to get unstamped tusks out of the country is to 

 divide the column of carriers into two portions, and while 

 the one carrying the stamped tusks goes through the post 

 and is in the usual course examined by the official in charge, 

 the other column follows a by-path through the bush, only 

 known to the natives, and joins the main column again 

 beyond the post. As all the tusks are wrapped round with 

 plantain leaves detection on the road is difficult. In this way 

 large numbers of tusks have found their way across the Nile 

 into British territory without paying duty. 



An honest trader, however, in spite of the restrictions 

 can still drive a very fair trade. For instance, an imitation 

 skin-rug, a popular thing with the chiefs and costing about 

 fifteen shillings on the coast, will often buy a tusk which will 

 fetch in Europe from fifty to sixty pounds. 



In the Congo State the licence for shooting elephant 

 and trading in ivory is 150 francs, and fifty francs besides for 

 carrying a gun. 



Space does not permit me to describe the large number of 

 smaller mammals that the Expedition obtained, ranging 

 from chimpanzees to shrews. The majority of these were 

 found in the forests, but the denseness of the growth made 

 observation of their habits very difficult. So I will leave 

 these regions and go to the hills to say a few words about 

 the little Rock Dassie (Procavia), an interesting animal much 



